FEMALE sufferers of a debilitating sleep disorder are being urged to overcome their embarrassment and visit their GP for help.

York Hospital says the number of men diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea is far greater than women and that females may be more reluctant to go to their GP about problems such as snoring.

Margaret Dawson, 62, of York was so severely affected by sleep apnoea that she believes she would not be here today without the help of the sleep clinic.

Her condition got so bad she was falling asleep mid-conversation, was breathless and losing weight. The symptoms appeared two years after the death of her husband, and Margaret’s family feared she had given up on life. She said: “It was a big relief to me and my family when I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea so quickly. I had reached the stage where my heart was actually stopping and I would gasp for breath and that would jolt me awake. That was going on quite a few times each night. When I woke up on a morning, it felt like I had never been to sleep.

“It took a while to get my treatment sorted out, but now I feel absolutely great. For the last nine years I have been wearing a special mask that helps me breathe normally through the night and I am now as active as ever.”

Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs when the throat narrows during sleep and causes breathing to be interrupted. Sufferers can stop breathing hundreds of times each night. Fortunately the body senses that breathing is blocked and people wake up only to go back to sleep and continue the cycle. This results in poor sleep quality that makes people tired during the day and it is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.

Jaynie Pateraki, sleep service specialist nurse, said: “We are very concerned that many more men than women are diagnosed with the condition, often because the person’s partner has read an article on it and recognises the signs. Unfortunately women are not coming forward, possibly because they don’t realise they have the condition or they are too embarrassed to speak to their GP about their symptoms.”

There will be a stand in the foyer of York Hospital today giving more information on sleep disorders and the help available.